R Palimaka

Following up on Wurgermeister64's comment, you might want to reconsider. This is not to disparage the courage and skill of the Mosquito crews in any way, and highlights the horrible accidents that sometimes occur in wartime. The attack on the Shellhus in Copenhagen was particularly tragic as 86 schoolchildren and 18 staff members at the Jeanne D'Arc School were killed. One of the Mosquitoes in the first wave hit a lamppost (!) and crashed into the school which started a fire about a mile away. Some of the subsequent waves bombed the burning ruins of the school. There is a Danish film called "The Bombardment" ( the English title ) which is currently showing on Netflix in North America which covers the raid. Operation Carthage Aarhus Raid The RAF were understandably horrified by the accidental bombing. I remember reading in Johnny Johnson's book "Wing Leader" that the RAF held a large airshow in Denmark after the war, and the proceeds went to the families of the survivors of the Copenhagen raid. Sorry for sidetracking the thread. Richard

Too late for you now, although you're doing an incredible job!! ...AIM (Aircraft in Miniature) also produce an early and late trolley accumulator in 1/32, and 1/24 as well. Richard

Allarmi Figures from Italy do a few different poses and historical figures. Here is the page from Ultracast in Canada, but I'm sure they are more readily available in Europe. 1/32 Italian Pilots - Ultracast Richard

Please enter me as a recipient and a donor. I've got the following to contribute in two book packages: Package 1: US Navy Carrier Fighters of World War II Fighters of World War II Bombers of World War II US Air Force Colors 1926-1942 (Dana Bell) US Air Force Colors 1942-1945: ETO and MTO (Dana Bell) Package 2: Osprey: Warrior 164 RAF Fighter Command Pilot Osprey: Fortress 107 Defense of the Third Reich 1941-45 Osprey: Combat Aircraft 100 He111 Kampfgeschwader on the Russian Front Osprey: Aircraft of the Aces 108 P-38 Lightning Aces of the 82nd Fighter Group S/S Publications: Aces of the Eighth S/S Publications: Armee de L'Air: French Air Force 1937-1945 Thanks Richard

Thank you for the kind words! It was an ordeal but I had fun. That's unfortunate! I looked for their P-51 stencils in 1/32, which have the caps, but unfortunately even Hobby Decal Products are out of stock. I found the 1/24 scale version in stock with Sprue Brothers, but of course, wrong scale for you. Yes, lets hope that one of the aftermarket companies is listening... Richard

Although I agree photo-etch or resin caps would be far better, one solution is the Hobby Decal stencil markings sheet for the P-51. There are six fuel caps on the sheet, three backed with red, and three with clear background. I believe it's still available in 1/32 and 1/24 scale. They are dry transfer and take a bit of practice but it's what I used for my 1/24 Mustang. I drilled out the caps on the kit, and replaced them with a plastic disc of the same size, with the decal applied. It worked well enough for me, and looks better than what was there. Richard Don't know if these images help...

Just saw this! Congratulations and enjoy your time in Toronto! Yup, very deserving of jealousy! What a lovely gift for this time of year. That's a wonderful area of Toronto, lots of great eating just down Danforth too. And yes, Wheels and Wings is an amazing almost overwhelming place! Like Carl says, it's worth the drive, even for me in Kingston two+ hours away. Again, hope you've enjoyed your time with your family! Richard

it's been down for a while. Very unfortunate, so much valuable information gone. Richard

It's been a few years, so thought I'd update things. Less hair, and what's left is now more white...hence the hat. After my flight in Hannu Halminen's Mustang. The smile lasted a few weeks. In the back seat arriving at Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Photo by museum photographer Derek Mickeloff. My partner Ruth and I, in my natural habitat, surrounded by Mustangs at Oshkosh 2022.

Oh man! That is superb! The textures and weathering are perfect and so convincing. The figures are excellent! Very convincing as well. Richard

Gorgeous!! Just perfection. I love the helmet perched on the cockpit sill! Richard

WOW! Spectacular! What an intriguing project, and so built so quickly! You are a master at cross-kitting to produce something very unique! Thank you for sharing and I will definitely be looking at the build process. (I'm currently working on a SB LiM-2 (MiG-15UTI) based on your work you did years ago. Thank you for that too!) Richard

To be fair, that airframe flying in Canada is a Polish SB Lim-2 (Polish-built version of the MiG-15UTI) and would never have worn Soviet markings. Owners and restorers, and even museums, are not always concerned about complete accuracy. The Mustang (44-72059) that I recently helped to restore in RCAF markings as RCAF 9253 is an example. Even though the paint scheme is completely accurate for an RCAF Mustang, down to the factory markings and stencils, that specific aircraft served with the USAAF, Sweden, Bolivia and Nicaragua...but never in the RCAF. To make it even more confusing, the real RCAF 9253 (44-74582), is still currently flying in USAF markings that it never wore either! Even the "preserved" Mustang in the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum was painted (not very accurately) in camouflage and codes to represent a wartime RCAF Mustang. I suppose the intention was good back then, to represent Canada's wartime contribution, but it was also partly because the post-war NMF finish was too difficult to restore so it was decided to paint it. But it does completely confirm and support your point, that the markings on surviving airframes is always suspect. Unless of course you are building a model of a preserved example. Sorry for the lecture. Richard

I saw that on Facebook as well. Would definitely be interested in purchasing at least one of those. It's too bad the 1/32 Aviaeology RCAF FR XIVe decals are out of print and sold out. Still, markings shouldn't be a problem. He is also testing a set of 1/32 P-51D cockpit sidewalls, with different radio/control box fits for successive production versions. He also said he would test a set in 1/24, which makes me happy! They've been designed to fit the Revell 1/32 P-51D, but could be altered.

Apart from the questions about oil canning and bumps, that is a spectacular series of photographs!!! Incredibly clear and some great detail. There are some good ideas for dioramas in there. Richard

Excellent work so far! Very fiddly but you're doing a great job. Thanks also for the heads up on challenging areas. I may have to get one of these now. Richard

I could be wrong, but I thought there was talk of Graham from Iconicair working on a resin Seafire 47? Richard

You're not helping...

Yes, that's right. I have both the Matchbox Mk.22 and the Freightdog Seafire 47 conversion set. The Matchbox kit is a challenge to work with. I think there are a couple of nicely completed conversions here on LSP. It's not perfect, but the conversion helps you with all the major changes. You'd also need one of the replacement noses/forward fuselage corrections as the Matchbox nose interpretation is off, especially the bulges for the Griffon engine. The whole kit needs some refinement really, soft details and the usual Matchbox trench-like panel lines. Some of the shapes and dimensions are not quite right; rudder, wings, horizontal stabilizer and the canopy. ...that sounded like I was trying to talk myself out of doing it... Richard

What a beautiful, clear photograph! I would love to see you build this! The curved canopy takes away one problem for you. That was very kind of Alistair to produce the windscreen for you. It's not on his list of products, but maybe he might consider it. I have plans of sometime building an early Spitfire I to display beside a Seafire 47... a "the first and the last" sort of idea. I hope I live that long, too many other projects first. Richard

I've just spent a lovely time going through this whole thread! Don't know how I missed it. I've dumped a lot of "likes" into your profile! What a spectacular build. I've loved how all the research was translated into results on the model itself, and how the problems and discoveries were approached and solved. This is a superb model of an aircraft from an era of beautiful aircraft. Richard

Excellent question! I have the same part and was wondering the same thing. What is also needed is the early windscreen and canopy. Richard

Haha!! Wow, that's excellent! Some seriously good airbrush technique there! That is going to really stand out when you're done.

Meticulous and beautiful work so far! The thought of all that fine airbrush work makes me dizzy though. Looking forward to seeing the brown applied. Richard

I agree, that's very brave of you. Good luck with the project and I'll definitely be checking in to see the progress. Looking forward to see how it goes! Richard